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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Arielle Brachfeld has established herself as an accomplished actress and writer, with an incomparable presence both on screen and as a profound storyteller. She is more than just a Scream Queen having worked on projects that expand beyond the horror genre, showing an ability to be captivating, dramatic, wicked funny, and yes-disturbingly dark. Arielle has a impressive resume of credits, and the unbound nature to move beyond acting into creating stories that will “drop jaw”, and force you to emote extreme emotional response to character driven concepts. “Chemical Peel” was a bit disturbing and gripping. I can’t wait to see how “The Letter Red” plays out. It is a more modern re-imaging of Macbeth and I am sure will show Brachfeld's diversity as a writer.

For now though, my total fixation with Arielle Brachfeld rests in her return to Cutter’s Creek as she plays Darlene once more in Joston Theney’s slasher sequel “Axeman 2: Overkill”. It is an opportunity that will allow the character more depth and really develop in the mythology of the nightmare that frames Cutter’s Creek- the Axeman. I live for horror, and the Axeman franchise is one I have embraced from the beginning. Arielle Brachfeld has a heart for horror as well, she is one of today’s strongest Scream Queens in the indie film community. She has several projects in various stages of production that are on my radar, and I look forward to seeing how Miss Brachfeld’s career expands even further within the industry.

Here is my recent interview with Arielle Brachfeld where we talk about her role in “Axeman 2: Overkill”, her future projects, and her talent as a writer:

A Southern Life: You are one of the few surviving characters returning to Cutter's Creek, are you looking forward to facing the Axeman? Will Deputy Whitfield face the Axeman?Arielle Brachfeld: I can't wait to come face to face with one of the most terrifying and entertaining slashers of our age! Deputy Darlene doesn't know what's in those woods, but she's ready for the fight of her life.

This type of character, Darlene, she needs something to prove herself. Something to show who she really is. The character of the Axeman is terrifying because there's a little Axeman in all of us. Sometimes we think we fall on one side of the line: Hero or coward, villain or savior. There is no black and white line for anyone.

A Southern Life: How has your character changed since the first film? Arielle Brachfeld: Darlene always had a big mouth. She just has to actually back things up this time.
I think there was more innocence to her in the first one. She was allowed to be a screw up. Nothing was really on the line for her.

Things shifted to become very personal for her in this movie. She couldn't simply walk away. At a certain point, everybody faces who they really are. Sometimes, those perceived weaknesses are the best strengths a person can have. It takes true adversity, life and death, and hell staring at you in the face, to make you own up to who you are. Your potential, your heroism, your darkness. Darlene becomes who she's meant to be in Axeman 2. A Southern Life: This will be your third project with Joston Theney, how has the experience been working with him? Arielle Brachfeld: There are few people I would work on anything with. Joston could call me at 2:00 in the morning, and pitch a fiber cereal commercial idea, and I'm like: I'm there!
Artists are people that are compelled to create. It drives them. Joston is one of the few other filmmakers that I've ever met that loves movie making as much as I do. There is undeniable joy in how he makes movies. Some directors aren't very hands-on. Joston is in the thick of it. There's a fight scene with a pro wrestler? Joston is going through the moves, including throws, with the joy of a true artist. Working with him reminds me that we're there to play and make believe. Even if your character is going through hell, and having the worst possible day in the history of the world, Joston calls 'cuu-u-ut' (emphatically) and you remember that you are damn lucky to be living and making a movie.

One of the best things with working with him is hearing his 'cuu-ut' when you nail a scene. I call making movies with him movie camp, because it's a magical, fun, thrilling experience. There's a joy to his sets that is hard to describe, and I can't get enough of it.

A Southern Life: You have been in a few horror films, have you always been a big horror fan? Arielle Brachfeld: I love horror, I do. But my heart lies with sci-fi. Long before I became a horror fan, I was a sci-fi nut. I loved that the genre showed the best and worst of humanity. The potential. Alien is what bridged the gap for me. Sci-Fi horror? Now we're talking. Also, just artistically, I love that you go all out for horror characters. It's so satisfying to push emotionally as far as you can go as an actor. No other genre has that built in. It's literal life and death in horror. How would someone actually handle these situations? How would a person react and interact? A Southern Life: Who is your favorite final girl of the past? Arielle Brachfeld: Ripley. Nothing more badass than Ripley. Plus, she saves the cat. A Southern Life: You are also a writer so which do you prefer acting the story out or writing the story? Arielle Brachfeld: Actually both. It's wonderful creating a character from the page up. It allows so much deeper of an understanding of all the circumstances that brought this person into being.

However, I generally write to act. I write what I want to make.

Very rarely have I been inspired to write a character or story that I wasn't drawn to play.

I love writing short stories, again, of a sci fi persuasion. But, I've never worked on a script I didn't plan on acting in.

I do also love the challenge and joy of discovery when I'm cast in something I didn't write. It's a fun mystery. Who is this person? Why are they like this? How do they feel?

* One quick note, I'd love to give a shout out for The Letter Red. It will be the 4th project I work on with Joston, and there are quite a few other A2 friends on there as well. It's a modern adaptation of Macbeth. Edward Gusts of A2 fame and I wrote it, and we couldn't imagine any other filmmaker that can do that story justice like Joston. We're both thrilled to have him direct and produce.

Also, quick shout out for Day For Night (a dark and comical film noir by Micheal Chrisoulakis) and Good Family Times (a disturbing supernatural home invasion film from Staci Wilson and Blanc/Biehn Productions).